Tuesday, March 10, 2009

St. Patrick's Day Recipes

Guinness Brownies

Time is flying so quickly that I thought Monday was only the 6th. So, between my inability to read the calendar and daylight savings time, I'm all discombobulated. On Sunday, we were wandering through Whole Foods, and I noticed displays of Murphy's Stout, Guinness and Dubliner Stout Cheddar (really tasty, by the way!). It took a minute before I realized all these goodies were front and center because St. Patty's Day is right around the corner.

Irish Potato Chowder and Soda Biscuits in the background.

In order to be ahead of the curve when it comes to holiday food, I'm posting some favorite perfect-for-St. Patty's recipes. I just realized I have enough Irish-themed things to qualify for a pretty decent round up. This year, I'd love to make a batch of Guinness Brownies, but I may also opt for this pistachio cookie recipe I've been holding onto since last year. My wedding anniversary is actually two days after St. Patrick's Day, so that is the big celebratory occasion I look forward to in March. Still, there's no reason why I can't toast three years of marriage with a pint of Guinness and a glass of champagne.

Do you have a favorite recipe for St. Patrick's Day? Is it all about the Guinness and the Bailey's Irish cream, or do you go traditional with cabbage and potatoes? I love how holidays give us a reason to cook or bake something we wouldn't normally do.

Guinness Brownies - Dense and chocolatey with a hint of stout. This is just a great brownie.

Homemaker: If you don't want to use beer, I think I'd try another brownie recipe that's specificially formulated without. Since there are so many great ones, why take the risk of tweaking. King Arthur flour's website is a good resource for reliable and easy brownie recipes. Or take a look at cookiemadness.net.

Julie O'Hara Chicago, IL

Welcome! I'm a freelance recipe developer and writer for magazines like Shape, Clean Eating and National Geographic Traveler. View my work at julieoharawriter.com. I love your emails and comments--thanks for reading!